Highclere Castle Christmas Tour & Tea, traffic from Wells

If you are coming up from Wells that's two hours each way, and it'll be dark soon after 4pm. On that basis I would aim for the earlier time to hopefully at least start back with a bit of daylight.

If you are staying in Wells do try to get to Evensong at the Cathedral, and see what else they have on seasonally.

I'll bet Vicar's Close (the Medieval Street) in Wells is very special by night.

Thanks.
We would not be returning to Wells, but would either stay in Newbury or drive on to Reading---return the car the next morning. We are still trying to decide if we will rent a car, or try to get around with public transport.

I guess I'll put our tentative schedule here so there's more info for your recommendations.

Do we need to rent a car or is it feasible to make it for the 12 or 1 tour time at Highclere on public transportation from Wells that am? It appears as if public transit is doable----or is it risky? Or, do we need to cancel the 4th night in Wells and stay in Newbury? A car would also allow us to get into Bath or suburb for park & ride, and allow us to take other drives as desired over the 3.5 days while staying in Wells and will simplify the transit to Highclere. My husband has over 5300 miles driving in UK and Ireland, but has never driven there in November or December.

Sat 22 Nov - touchdown at 5:50 pm
PM Stays:
Sat -Tues London ///Tues SHOW (tickets purchased)
Wed - Kew/Richmond & Christmas at KEW
Thurs - Sun - Wells (Rent car in Reading) (lovely country house where we stayed last year after our visit to Bath)///Bath, Wells, relax
Mon - Newbury near Highclere, or Reading/// Return car to Reading on Tuesday am///Mon tour & tea at HIGHCLERE
Tues - Sat London ///Tues CONCERT at Royal Albert (tickets purchased)
Sun- airport hotel
OR Tuesday - Fri - London;
Sat & Sun - Windsor ?
Monday - flight at 9:50 am to Dublin enroute to Seattle (arrive 2 or 3 hours for flight?)

Thanks for your help and ideas.

I did Wells a few weeks ago by public transport. From Bristol the bus was a long slow grind due entirely to the traffic situation on the south side of Bristol which was terrible. Once finally clear of that we could and did really get moving. But I wouldn't want to be going in to Bristol that way in the morning peak, with a set train to catch.
That at 2.30pm.
Going back to Bath was the opposite. Admittedly in mid evening we had long dwell times at each timing point, and arrived at Bath early. However it was quite a long trip through the suburbs of Bath and there is a very good reason why Bath has Park and Ride. In the morning peak I strongly suspect it is not so easy going, but was a truly beautiful journey for the scenery.

Given that you then have to connect ex Bath at Reading then at Newbury into a taxi this is a very long winded way of saying that I agree that public transport would be dicey.
But I want to be honest with you.
So the car is the obvious choice.
Neither Taunton or Yeovil would work well as bus to train interchange points either. I did Taunton last year and got stranded there when two morning school buses got cancelled - a bit unthinkable. Plus it's a bit of a funny change from bus to station.

For me that Wells trip had been literally over 40 years in the making.

Thank you so much for this first hand experience and advice. It's good to have confirmation that we are on the right track with driving. At first we thought we'd do only public transportation and that we'd train to several towns with markets so we could experience Christmas spirit in a variety of locations. However, we decided to add Highclere and stick closer to London. When I found that Beryl Country House, which we discovered for a last minute 3 night stay Oct '24, is available, we decided we could take a few 'more relaxing' days. The car will make everything simpler. Since we'll only be covering a limited driving area, it shouldn't be too stressful. Only the Wells to Highclere will have a narrowly defined timeline.

I think we should be fine with the 12 noon tour if we have the car packed before breakfast so we can hit the road between 8:30 and 9.
If we get nervous about the time, we'll cut breakfast even shorter.

We'll definitely look into Evensong. Your 40 yr trip must have an interesting backstory.
Thanks.

Which route would be the best to travel from Wells to Highclere---A303 or M4 (reportedly 13 minutes longer)? Both show on google directions. I presume M4 is the safest to avoid any road closures or irregularities. We should have at least 3 hours for travel on a Monday morning about 8:45. I presume A303 would be the most interesting.

I don't know the A303 but my thinking is that to reach the M4 it is a sizeable diversion skirting round the west side of Bath.
Speaking personally the last place I want to be in bad weather (especially driving rain or high winds) is on the freeway/motorway.
It isn't how you drive, it's how someone else drives, especially at freeway speeds.
When I used to drive from the Lake District to Glasgow in heavy weather I would get off the M74 and onto the old A74 whenever possible.
Or going South I would go through the central lakes, not the M6. Slower speeds but less traffic.
In a WA context in winter weather on sections of the I90 where there is an alternative (like Hwy 10) I would want to be on the alternative if it's been plowed and treated. I would just feel safer and more in control of my own destiny.
I groan not infrequently at what I see on the I90 traffic cameras in winter then what I read afterwards about what happened.
I usually monitor Tinkham Road to Indian John when I know a snow event is due.
A very personal perspective I know, and others will doubtless disagree. So my own choice if all other things were equal would be the A303.

Thanks for your thoughts. I guess I'll defer to my chauffeur on the route..:)